Pokemon: Skybound

The wind howled almost the entire night.

Kai barely slept at all. Each time he drifted off, the shrieking gusts outside the window jolted him awake again. By morning, he felt more exhausted than rested.

Misty wasn't doing any better.

When the two met in the Pokémon Center's dining hall, the dark circles under their eyes told the whole story.

"Haa~" Misty yawned deeply, rubbing her eyes as she sighed. "That wind last night was terrifying. I kept worrying the windows were going to shatter."

"Same here," Kai said with a helpless shake of his head. "Even headphones didn't help much."

There was at least some good news.

After an entire night of violent winds, the typhoon hadn't made landfall on Dewford Island as expected. Although the sky in the distance was still filled with endless black clouds, the storm system had shifted slightly. Its center had moved from the island's eastern side to the western sea.

It was still threatening but for now, Dewford was relatively safe.

"We should hurry and eat," Kai said. "While we still can, let's challenge the Dewford Gym. If the typhoon changes direction again, we might not even be able to leave the Pokémon Center."

Misty nodded. This wasn't the time to dawdle.

The two quickly finished breakfast, fed their Pokémon, and left behind their backpacks to travel light. Moments later, they stepped out of the Pokémon Center.

Compared to yesterday, the town felt completely different.

It was barely past seven in the morning, yet the streets were utterly deserted—not a single person in sight.

Broadcast announcements echoed through the town, repeatedly urging residents to stay indoors and prepare for the possible landfall of the typhoon.

Every house was tightly shut. Some windows were even taped over, clear signs of storm precautions.

Kai and Misty exchanged a glance, sensing the urgency of the situation. Without wasting any time, they quickened their pace toward the Dewford Gym.

Whooo—

The wind slammed into them as they moved.

At first, Kai thought it was just his imagination—but when he looked up, his expression darkened.

The massive storm cloud had shifted again.

This time, it was clearly advancing toward Dewford Town.

Of course… the one thing we don't want to happen.

They had just left town. Whether they went forward to the Gym or turned back to the Pokémon Center, the remaining distance was about the same.

Turning back now felt frustrating.

They had already come this far—wasn't retreating just wasted effort?

Besides, to a Trainer, what was a typhoon anyway?

If he couldn't endure even this much, he might as well quit battling altogether and become a Coordinator instead.

Every hardship was a step toward becoming stronger.

With that thought, Kai steeled his resolve and pressed on toward the Gym, choosing not to call Dragonite to fly them there.

Unfortunately, that meant Misty suffered the most.

With her slim build, she was nearly knocked off her feet several times by the violent gusts. Each time, Kai reacted quickly, grabbing her before she could fall.

Eventually, the two had no choice but to link arms and push forward together.

Whoooo—whoooo—

Leaving the town behind, they reached the cliffside path leading up to the Dewford Gym. As they climbed the slope, the wind grew even fiercer.

"Kai—!" Misty tried to speak, only to choke on a mouthful of wind. She quickly covered her mouth. "Don't you have Suicune? With its power, couldn't it stop the typhoon?"

"It probably could," Kai replied, keeping his head down against the wind. "But don't even think about it. This storm is a natural phenomenon—we can't interfere with it recklessly."

"How would that mess things up?" Misty asked, confused.

"The formation and movement of a typhoon are extremely complex," Kai explained. "They're not as simple as they look. These storms bring heavy rain—not just destruction. That rain nourishes inland ecosystems. If I were to stop it here, it could trigger a chain reaction and disrupt ecological balance elsewhere."

He paused, then added, "Besides, coastal towns like Dewford have drainage systems designed for this. Any damage will be minimal."

For a ten-year-old, this was the first time Misty had heard such a detailed explanation. Once she understood, she stopped arguing.

Kai really knows a lot… she thought.

If it were someone simple-minded, they might've already shown off their power without thinking twice.

Despite the brutal wind, the distance wasn't far. After several tense minutes, the two finally reached the Dewford Gym.

They had barely passed beneath the strange sign they'd seen the day before when Kai spotted someone ahead.

Standing in front of the Gym entrance—

It was Bea.

Just like them, she had clearly rushed here before the typhoon's arrival.

…Then why wasn't she inside?

Hearing footsteps, Bea turned around and saw them approaching.

Kai followed her gaze to the Gym doors—and immediately understood.

The entrance was locked.

A thick chain and padlock sealed the doors shut.

No one was inside.

Kai checked the time on his phone.

8:47 a.m.

By normal standards, the Gym should've been open already.

"What the heck…" Misty sighed in disappointment. "I was hoping to duck inside and escape this wind. At this rate, my skin's going to crack!"

Gesturing for her to calm down, Kai turned to Bea.

"How long have you been here?"

Bea paused, clearly surprised that he spoke to her, then answered after a brief hesitation.

"Half an hour."

"Half an hour?!" Misty stared at her in disbelief. "You've just been standing here the whole time?!"

Bea nodded quietly.

"My goodness…" Misty muttered. "You're really—uh—patient…"

She nearly said stubborn, but swallowed the word just in time.

Bea didn't seem bothered and remained silent, clearly intending to continue waiting.

Kai sighed, then circled the Gym, checking for side entrances or contact information.

Nothing.

Returning to the front, Misty hesitated before speaking.

"Kai… do you think maybe the Gym staff just… aren't coming today?"

As soon as she said it, both Kai and Bea looked at her.

"Well…" Misty cleared her throat nervously. "The town broadcasts told everyone to stay indoors. Maybe Brawly followed that advice too?"

Kai frowned.

He hadn't considered that.

As a traveling Trainer, extreme weather didn't stop him.

But for Brawly, running a Gym was just a job—not a life of constant hardship.

Skipping work during a typhoon was perfectly reasonable.

After all, he'd even appointed a proxy Gym Leader just so he could go surfing.

Expecting him to show up in weather like this might be unrealistic.

Seeing Kai deep in thought, Misty quickly added, "I mean—maybe I'm wrong…"

"You're probably right," Kai said calmly. "Let's wait until nine. If the Gym doesn't open by then, we'll head back."

Bea listened silently and stayed put, clearly thinking the same.

Kai and Misty sat down on a sheltered stone step nearby.

The wind whipped Bea's silver-gray hair wildly. Even the black rabbit-ear headband atop her head fluttered violently.

Seeing her still standing there, Misty couldn't help saying, "Hey… do you want to sit down too?"

Bea glanced at her and shook her head.

Standing in the wind was training.

Besides, only a few minutes remained.

The storm clouds crept closer. The palm trees surrounding the Gym swayed violently.

Before nine even arrived, Kai made his decision.

"Let's go."

"Huh?" Misty hesitated. "Already? There's still a little time—"

"If Brawly were coming, he'd already be here," Kai said. "We'll have to wait until after the typhoon."

"Alright…"

They stood and began heading down the mountain.

As they passed Bea, Kai said, "Don't wait anymore. Come with us. The typhoon's almost here."

Bea looked toward the sea.

The storm had reached the waters near Dewford. The air was thick with moisture.

She nodded and followed.

The three descended together.

Despite slowing down for Bea, they quickly realized she was far stronger physically than expected. She caught up effortlessly.

But they had underestimated the typhoon.

Without warning—

Rain began to fall.

At first, it was only a drizzle.

Then, in less than ten seconds—

It turned into a torrential downpour.

They had no raincoats. No umbrellas.

Within moments, they were completely soaked.

Visibility dropped to almost nothing.

Running for town was too far.

Breaking back into the Gym was impossible.

Thankfully, Kai remembered a nearby cave.

He waved to Misty and Bea and sprinted off the path toward the rocky cliffside.

Misty immediately understood and followed.

Bea, trusting their judgment, ran after them without hesitation.

Behind them, the typhoon roared.

Ahead—

Shelter.

◉◉◉◉◉

~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter

◉◉◉◉◉

For early access to advanced chapters on P-atreon:

P-atreon/iamxeno

(Just remove the - hyphen to access normally)

Thank you so much for your support and for reading!

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!